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Exclusive: Russia building major military base near Ukrainian border
By Anton Zverev SOLOTI, Russia (Reuters) - Russia has started to build a huge military base housing ammunition depots and barracks for several thousand soldiers near the Ukrainian border, a project that suggests the Kremlin is digging in for a prolonged stand-off with Kiev. The base, when completed, will even have its own swimming pool, skating rink and barber shop, according to public documents. This week workmen were erecting a fence in a cornfield outside the village of Soloti to mark out the perimeter, and told a Reuters reporter to leave, accusing him of being an Ukrainian spy. In almost the same spot there was a flurry of military activity in April last year that coincided with intense fighting across the Ukrainian frontier that lies about 25 km (15 miles) away. A squadron of Mi-24 attack helicopters was seen there at the time, as well as army tents and trucks. NATO has accused Russia of using makeshift bases for sending soldiers and hardware into Ukraine to support pro-Russian separatists fighting Kiev. Russia denies its military is in Ukraine. The defense ministry did not reply to written questions from Reuters about the purpose of the base it is building and whether there was any connection to the Ukraine conflict. According to tender documents published on the Russian government website zakupki.gov.ru, the ministry is building the military base on a 300-hectare site near Valuyki, a small town not far from Soloti. The ministry intends to build nine barracks for 3,500 soldiers, warehouses for rockets, artillery weapons, and other munitions with a total area of over 6,000 square meters. The documents also stated there would be a large training complex, and an infirmary for 50 beds, which can be expanded in case of "massive influx of wounded". They did not give the exact location of the base, but local residents in Soloti said they believed it would be on their doorstep. "They are building a military town," said Alexander Panchenko, a local resident whose house overlooks farmland where preparatory work is underway for a big construction project. "SECRET FACILITY" A Reuters reporter saw workers at the site on Monday installing a metal fence and paving the road to the construction site, in a large cornfield near the village. Also there were several construction trailers, an excavator and heaps of rubble behind the fence. A man in Soloti, who called himself a representative of the Federal Afency for Special Construction - which overseas construction of defense installations - refused to talk about the work, saying only that "a secret facility" was being built. A builder at the site accused the reporter of being a Ukrainian spy, while his superior stopped the reporter's car, photographed his documents and said he would call the Federal Security Service, the main counter-intelligence agency. The field where the work was underway is near a railway line that links Soloti with Moscow and Luhansk, the adjacent Ukrainian region that is controlled by pro-Moscow separatists. Russia has pulled out of the treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe, a post-Cold War pact that limits the deployment of troops in Europe, so it is free to move extra troops and hardware to its western border. According to the procurement documents, the defense ministry plans to use the base to train soldiers on artillery and army air defense, as well as in driving tanks and armored personnel carriers. The plan includes a site for studying the tactics of the U.S. Army, which was called a "likely enemy" in the document. On top of that, the base will include a headquarters with a communications node, a dining room for 2,000 soldiers, a recreation center with the skating rink, sports complexes with a swimming pool, tennis and badminton courts, and a residential complex of more than 1,000 apartments. The document, seen by Reuters, requires the completion of the first stage - the base design and initial construction and installation works - by April 29, 2016. Fighting between Ukrainian government forces and the separatists in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions has killed almost 8,000 people since it flared in mid-April 2014. The violence has almost subsided since Sept. 1 when the Ukrainian parliament backed giving more autonomy to rebel-held areas, in line with a peace deal. However, the truce is under threat because the sides have not fully agreed on the withdrawal of weapons from the conflict area, and the separatists are preparing local elections without coordination with Kiev. (Additional reporting Elena Fabrichnaya; editing by David Stamp)


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The strange, oddly familiar saga of Alex Smith is unlikely to continue with the San Francisco 49ers next season. The real question that will be asked on a more regular basis starting next week: Will Smith be traded or cut?
According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, Smith has a clear preference. A source with knowledge of the situation tells Florio that Smith is expected to ask for his release before free agency.
The 49ers seem somewhat unlikely to listen to Smith's wishes. Why not try to trade him? Smith should be an attractive trade chip despite the $8.5 million he's due to earn next year.
Smith has been a good soldier for the team, so he could earn special consideration. But let's not make him into a martyr. Smith was given a monster $49.5 million contract as the No. 1 pick of the 2005 draft. The 49ers didn't ask for money back from that deal while Smith mostly underperformed.
The soft deadline on a possible deal: April 1. Smith will be guaranteed his 2013 salary at that point, and interested teams will want to know if they are getting Smith even earlier than that because free agency starts March 12.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.

subset: commoncrawl


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Kelly M.
It's like a whole new lease on life. My arthritis had really been slowing me down recently, but I absolutely hated the side effects of the medicine my doctor prescribed. Now, after just a few days of taking Pure CBD Gummies, my pain is all gone and there are ZERO side effects!


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All right, we've got a couple things for you here at The Bits today…
First, in case you missed it when we first posted it on Friday, I've taken a closer look at CBS' new Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season Two Blu-ray release for you. The set arrives in stores tomorrow (12/4). The video remastering isn't quite as good as Season One, but the extras are terrific. Don't miss it!
Speaking of Star Trek: The Next Generation, you'll find the cover artwork for Season Three (due early 2013) below. Look for it in the March/April time frame – official street date and details are TBA.
Also here at The Bits today, our own Mario Boucher has posted a good new feature article – The Men Behind Men in Black 3 – which looks behind-the-scenes on the creature effects work of the legendary Rick Baker on Sony's Men in Black 3. The Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD versions all hit store shelves on Friday. Enjoy!
In announcement news today, Entertainment One has just set David Cronenberg's Cosmopolis for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 1/1/2013 (SRP $29.98 and $24.98). Both will include the Citizens of Cosmopolis featurette, audio commentary with Cronenberg and video interviews with the cast and crew. You'll find cover artwork below.
Also today, Disney has officially announced details on the Blu-ray 3D Combo, Blu-ray Combo and DVD release of Tim Burton's Frankenweenie on 1/8/2013 (SRP $49.99, $39.99 and $29.99). All three versions will include footage of the Frankenweenie touring exhibit and Plain White T's Pet Sematary music video. To this the Blu-ray versions will add the all-new Captain Sparky vs. The Flying Saucers animated short, the original Frankenweenie live-action short and the Miniatures in Motion: Bringing Frankenweenie to Life featurette.
As promised, here's the Blu-ray cover artwork for CBS' Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season Three (TBA), Entertainment One's Cosmopolis and Disney's Frankenweenie (BD3D version)…
Stay tuned!
- Bill Hunt


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Here's a little story for you, it might sound familiar.
When I got home from a weekend out of town, my husband looked at me and said "I was going to get a lot of stuff done, but managing 4 kids on my own was a lot tougher than I thought" I resisted the urge to say I told you so and instead shared with him some of my tips for managing.
Many people who are into prepping (whether bloggers or just hobby-preppers) are proudly proclaiming "I told you so" in light of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. While it does feel good to know that you would have been prepared for an emergency, we feel that it is much more positive to share "I'll tell you what to do" instead. If you want to help your family and friends (or yourself) be more prepared should something like this happen in the future, here are a few things you can pass along.
Printable Emergency Preparedness Plan
Download this two-sided brochure and print it out or attach it in an email. It walks you through our entire basic emergency preparedness plan. There's probably not going to be a better time when people are willing to listen, so please share this brochure with family and friends.
If you aren't able to print or attach the brochure, feel free to send your friends a link to this post by sharing it on facebook, pinterest, or emailing it.
Website Resources
EPREP Basics: Family Plan It's a good idea to be on the same page with your family as to what you would do in case of an emergency. |
EPREP Basics: Disaster Kit (72 hour kits) Be sure to have a disaster kit with supplies, 72 hour supply of food, and your important documents in an emergency binder. |
EPREP Basics: Evacuation List Having a good car kit and grab list will help in case of an emergency where you may need to evacuate. |
POWERLESS COOKING Do you have alternative ways of cooking foods without power? Do you also store the necessary amount of fuel to actually use those methods? |
Bug-Out versus Shelter-in-Place
A lot of our materials focus on being prepared should you need to evacuate. Obviously that is a very real scenario which we should be prepared for. But often overlooked is the thought of having to "shelter-in-place". We don't emphasis this too much because basically if you are prepared with your disaster kit to evacuate for 3 days, you SHOULD be prepared to stay at home for at least 3 days. Here are a few extra considerations should you be stuck at home longer than that:
- Have extra food and water stored. Make sure to store it in different areas of your home. For creative ideas where you can store food and water visit our Small Spaces Storage Solutions post.
- Protect yourself and your family. If you can't leave, you need to be able to stay safe at home. The Survival Mom tackles the topic of protection and firearms in a very reasonable way, if that is something you would like to learn more about.
- Have a way to charge your electronic devices. Life doesn't stop just because of an emergency. If you have no way to get somewhere with electricity, you have got to have options at home for power for cooking, communication, work, etc. We like the solar options such as Goal Zero or Humless Solar Generators. (Please note: If you order a Goal Zero from Emergency Essentials before November 15th they will donate dollar for dollar to the Hurricane Sandy relief effort providing solar recharging kits to those in need)
Please remember to share this post or the resources above with your loved ones so that you can "Tell them what to do" rather than hammer home that you "told them so".
-Jodi Weiss Schroeder


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I often randomly stumble across podcasts and try a few episodes out. I just did that with Software Engineering Radio, mainly to hear this interview with Kent Beck. He is the person behind JUnit. In my job I try to to test driven development wherever possible (given that I work on a system with many many moving parts.) We have a unit test framework for our C code and if any problem can be reduced to a failing unit test case, that is always where I want to start. I've gotten to the point that in those cases where it just isn't feasible, working without that test coverage makes me itchy and nervous.
There is a second order effect to all this that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. When it is part of the culture of a team to always unit test their code, outside of the value of the testing itself if forces the code to be written in a testable manner. You tend to not have gigantic functions with many effects because those just aren't testable. The same aspects that make it unit testable also make it more understandable when new people are brought on board to maintain it, so that is always a long term positive.
It's been over 4 years now since I wrote Java code on a daily basis, so my understanding of the state of that art is slowly atrophying. One part of the interview I found really interesting was when Beck talked about JUnit Max. I had never previously heard of it, but it is an Eclipse plugin for doing continuous unit testing in the background as you work, in the same way Eclipse is always compiling after every change. There are some interesting heuristics in it, such as more recent tests run first as well as tests that have failed most recently. The idea is to put any failures in front of the developer as quickly after saving a code file as possible, so by guestimating which ones have a higher probability of failure, JUnit Max tries to get to that point faster. Also interesting is that it is not free, but $100/year for a license. This seems like a very good way to monetize open source. JUnit itself is free, and Beck et all have given it to the work for free. This value added enhancement which is primarily of value to those whose time is money (high rate consultants or high wage employees) is not free, but also priced such that practically any organization is going to see a payback quickly. The guy has saved the development world billions of dollars by allowing them to find bugs earlier, it makes sense to kick him $100/license for saving you a little more time if you need it. Everyone is a winner.


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Habitat Routine
MB: Sure, so we usually get up very early in the morning, probably around 6:30 in the morning and when we were in Papua New Guinea we had to walk to the area where we were going to have breakfast so we had to walk through the village and say good morning to all the villagers and then we shared breakfast together with our team which the villagers prepared for us.
Matthew: What kind of food was that?
MB: In Papua New Guinea they eat a lot of potatoes and sweet potatoes and and some fish and some noodles but mostly their staple... and also bananas. They have a lot of plants or fruits that they grow on their property we ate a lot of that and then after breakfast we usually have a short orientation about what kind of jobs we're going to do that day and we're usually broken down into different teams and then we work for maybe two hours and then we have a short break and then we work again until lunch time. These jobs can be anything from planing wood or cutting wood or helping to lay the floor or putting up the walls or painting the walls or anything like that. And then we have lunch with the team and also with the villagers usually and after lunch we, in the past, we usually play with the children after lunch for a little while and then we go back to work for maybe about three or four hours in the afternoon. And night-time is cleaning up as well as having dinner again together with our team, or with the villagers. It really depends and then we usually have a meeting where all the team members get together and we have a reflection time about what happened that day or any problems, or we get a chance to talk to each other about the different jobs we were doing, so it's a very busy day, every day, but it's really satisfying and a lot of fun and we learn so many things, so many new things every day.
Matthew: That's great. You did mention that during the reflections, you talked about any problems that occurred. What kind of problems have occurred?
MB: Not so many, but in the past sometimes students get sick or they don't adjust to the heat of the country were in or they're not used to working physical, doing physical work every day or, so they're getting tired easily or something like that, or sometimes we just talk about problems in adjusting to the new culture. Sometimes it's very hard and very sad to see such poverty and to see people suffering but if we have a chance to share our feelings with each other it makes it easier to talk about and to think about.
We usually have a short orientation.
An 'orientation' is a meeting or a tour where people are introduced to a new job, place or activity. Notice the following:
- There's an orientation for new students at the university tomorrow.
- All new employees must attend the company orientation.
reflection time
We have a reflection time about what happened that day.
When we 'reflect,' we think carefully about an experience we have had. Notice the following:
- After the loss, the team had a reflection time.
- The long flight home was a time of reflection.
adjust to the heat
Sometimes students don't adjust to the heat of the country.
When we 'adjust to the heat,' that means after some time, hot weather is not a problem for us. Notice the following:
- Thailand was interesting, but it took days to adjust to the heat.
- I enjoyed South East Asia, but I just couldn't adjust to the heat.
physical work
They're not used to doing physical work every day.
'Physical work' is a job we do with our hands and muscles. Notice the following:
- Physical work is difficult for older people.
- Farming is difficult physical work.
adjusting to the new culture
Sometimes we talk about adjusting to the new culture.
When we adjust to a new culture, we become comfortable with what is different from our own culture. Notice the following:
- Being from Europe, adjusting to Asian culture was difficult for me.
- It takes time to adjust to a new culture.
Vocabulary Quiz
physical • new culture


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Every year Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach provides private pesticide applicator training covering a variety of pesticide safety and pest management issues.
In response to reported incidences of Bt-resistant corn rootworm, a series of remote "clicker" questions were developed to survey current corn rootworm management practices and assess the degree to which farmers perceived resistance in 2012. The questions were asked at 153 pesticide applicator training sessions facilitated by extension field agronomists.
More than 8,100 meeting participants responded to the six multiple-choice questions. Responses were anonymous and not everyone answered every question. Here are the statewide summaries of selected questions from the survey based on percentages of respondents:
To ascertain current management practices, participants were asked how they manage corn rootworm (Figure 1). Of the various management options for corn rootworm, 17 percent of respondents used Bt traits, 25 percent used crop rotation and 38 percent responded they used three or more methods.
Figure 1. How do you mange corn rootworm?
When asked if they had fields in 2012 where they suspected Bt trait failure, almost one-fourth (23 percent) of participants responded "yes" and 43 percent responded that they reported the suspected failure to someone. The majority of respondents who suspected trait failure either dug and rated root injury (38 percent) or noted goosenecking/lodging symptoms (33 percent) to assess the injury (Figure 2).
About 13 percent of people who suspected a Bt trait failure were able to verify the larval injury (Figure 3). Although lodging can occur as a result of rootworm feeding injury, there may be other causes such as strong wind events. The only way to verify Bt trait performance issues is to evaluate root injury. Thus the rate of verified trait failures from this survey may be overestimated because larval root injury was not confirmed for all cases. Additionally, the level of root injury that a grower may have considered sufficiently high to warrant a trait failure is unknown. Generally, a trait failure would be considered to be present if there is one node of root injury for Bt corn with a single trait targeting rootworm and 0.5 nodes for corn that has two Bt traits targeting rootworm. A root rating scale developed by the Iowa State University Department of Entomology is available.
Figure 2. What method did you use to assess corn rootworm injury?
Figure 3. What was the outcome of the assessment?
To understand where most of the perceived Bt trait failures were occurring within Iowa, we grouped responses by region. About one-third of people in northeast Iowa suspected a Bt trait failure in 2012 (Figure 4). Most of the positive verifications were in north central Iowa, with approximately one-third of people reporting Bt trait failures (Figure 5).
Figure 4. Percent of respondents who suspected a corn rootworm trait failure in at least one of their cornfields in 2012.
Figure 5. Percent of respondents who positively verified corn rootworm trait failure.
If you find injury to Bt corn on more than one node, consider diversifying pest management for that field. Severe injury may be due to western corn rootworm that has developed Bt resistance, and resistance should be suspected in these cases. The Department of Entomology at Iowa State University is working to understand the extent of resistance within the state and to develop management recommendations for Bt-resistant populations of western corn rootworm. Please contact Aaron Gassmann or Erin Hodgson to report fields with suspected resistance.


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The dbm library provides access to NDBM databases under Unix. NDBM databases maintain key/data associations, where both the key and the data are arbitrary strings. They support fairly large databases (several gigabytes) and can retrieve a keyed item in one or two file system accesses. Refer to the Unix manual pages for more information.
Unix: Programs that use the dbm library must be linked as follows:ocamlc other options dbm.cma other files ocamlopt other options dbm.cmxa other filesFor interactive use of the dbm library, do:ocamlmktop -o mytop dbm.cma ./mytop
or (if dynamic linking of C libraries is supported on your platform), start ocaml and type #load "dbm.cma";;.
Windows: This library is not available.


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Heather Hilliard Design
Heather Hilliard Design is a full service, boutique interior design firm in San Francisco, California.
Heather Hilliard Design, a boutique interior design company in San Francisco, California, offers full-service, boutique services. Heather creates personal interiors that blend classic details with the simplicity of modern design. Heather creates a refined interior that reflects her client's personal style with every assignment she accepts.
San Francisco (; Spanish for "Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California in the United States. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th most populous in the United States, with 815,201 residents as of 2021. It covers a land area of 46.9 square miles (121 square kilometers), at the end of the San Francisco Peninsula, making it the second most densely populated large U.S. city after New York City, and the fifth most densely populated U.S. county, behind only four of the five New York City boroughs. Among the 91 U.S. cities proper with over 250,000 residents, San Francisco was ranked first by per capita income (at $160,749) and sixth by aggregate income as of 2021. Colloquial nicknames for San Francisco include SF, San Fran, The City, Frisco, and Baghdad by the Bay.San Francisco and the surrounding San Francisco Bay Area are a global center of economic activity and the arts and sciences, spurred by leading universities, high-tech, healthcare, FIRE, and professional services sectors.
Alamo Square, Balboa Hollow Neighborhood Association, Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center, Billy Goat Hill, Buena Vista Park, Cathedral Hill, Central Waterfront, Chabad of the Neighborhood, China Beach, San Francisco, Chinatown, Chinatown San Francisco, Civic Center, Clarendon Heights, Cole Valley, Crissy Field


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Bronx, NY – Mark Reynolds hit a pair of homers and Miguel Gonzalez tossed seven scoreless innings, as the Baltimore Orioles handled the New York Yankees, 6-1, in the opener of a key three-game series.
J.J. Hardy hit a solo homer for the Orioles, who now trail New York by just two games in the AL East. Nick Markakis and Chris Davis added an RBI apiece.
Gonzalez (6-3) gave up four hits while striking out nine and walking one for Baltimore, which has won six of seven.
"I like pitching against a good, aggressive team I guess," Gonzalez said. "Today, my pitches were really good."
Hiroki Kuroda (12-10) allowed four runs on eight hits over 8 1/3 innings for the Yankees. The Japanese right-hander struck out four and did not issue a walk.
"He made a couple mistakes and they made him pay for it," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.
The Orioles scored three runs in the second inning and never looked back. Adam Jones and Matt Wieters singled to put men on the corners. Davis' sacrifice fly and Reynolds' two-run homer made it a 3-0 contest.
Hardy's homer to left in the sixth made it a four-run game.
New York, which had one hit through five innings, left two men on base in the home sixth. Ichiro Suzuki singled and Jayson Nix walked with no outs. Derek Jeter grounded into a fielder's choice to put men on the corners. But Nick Swisher struck out swinging and Robinson Cano fouled out to end the threat.
Baltimore tacked on two more runs in the ninth. Reynolds hit a solo homer off Derek Lowe and Markakis hit an RBI single.
Curtis Granderson homered off Brian Matusz in the bottom half to account for the final margin.
Game Notes
The Yankees and Orioles have split 12 games this season ... Baltimore signed left-handed pitcher Randy Wolf and added him to the 25-man roster on Friday ... New York went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and stranded five ... Markakis had three hits.


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Tracy Vargo-Gogola
Normally, the CDC42 gene propels healthy human growth. But when CDC42 is abnormally expressed, it contributes to cancer growth and metastasis. Tracy Vargo-Gogola, a breast cancer specialist at the Harper Cancer Research Institute, explores both faces of the gene in hopes of developing a better breast cancer treatment.
Cancer's origin point—a human gene gone haywire—is, in many cases, also its weak spot. If you could block the abnormal function of a gene that is important for metastasis, the theory goes, then maybe you can stop cancer from spreading.
But there's a catch—hit the weak spot with too much force, and you could trigger a cascade of side effects that may be as bad as the original cancer.
In her research, Tracy Vargo-Gogola, assistant professor of biochemistry & molecular biology at Indiana University School of Medicine-South Bend and adjunct assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, faces this problem every day. Vargo-Gogola, a breast cancer researcher at the Harper Cancer Research Institute, studies a gene called CDC42. The CDC42 gene is overactive in a type of breast cancer called invasive ductal carcinoma, which comprises 75 to 80 percent of breast cancers. CDC42 is active in other types of cancers as well.
CDC42 helps build breast, skin, blood and brain tissue. It acts like a compass for cells: As cells grow, CDC42 makes sure they're growing in the right direction, with the right cellular materials in the 'bottom' and 'top' of each cell. And, crucially, CDC42 dictates when cells should grow or move around.
But in breast cancer, CDC42 goes into overdrive. As a result, cells grow haphazardly and pile up, forming tumors. They also move around when they shouldn't—which is when tumors metastasize and spread throughout the body.
"What kills people is when the cancer goes to the lung, to the brain, to the bone," says Vargo-Gogola. "If this gene is absolutely required for breast tumor cells to migrate, invade and metastasize, then understanding how it functions may help us to stop that process."
The solution seems simple: block CDC42 before it goes rogue. But it's not that easy, because CDC42 is utterly critical for normal human development.
For example: "If you knock it out in the bone marrow, then you cause changes in the development of blood cells," Vargo-Gogola says. "You would make people really anemic, and potentially you could cause leukemia by blocking this."
That's why Vargo-Gogola, together with her lab team of post-doctoral fellows, a graduate student and five undergraduates, is studying both the normal and aberrant functions of CDC42.
"It's really important to understand both aspects of the gene, because you can target it, but you have to limit the collateral damage as much as possible," she says. "You want to understand its functions in cancer versus its functions in normal tissue, so you know exactly how to inhibit its cancer functions while not hitting its normal roles."
Vargo-Gogola is especially focused on how CDC42 affects the way cells communicate with each other.
"Back-and-forth signals go between cells," Vargo-Gogola says. "We're trying to understand the back-and-forth exchange between normal cells (which [can] eventually become tumor cells) and their surrounding environment, and how all that ultimately leads to the development of breast cancer and then metastasis."
When a CDC42 gene misbehaves, the resulting cancer cells send confusing messages to the cells around them. Imagine if all the traffic lights stopped functioning normally across a few city blocks—intersections with only green lights, for example. Cars would crash not because drivers forget how to drive, but because the drivers are getting all the wrong signals.
This is the problem when breast cancer cells bombard the cells in the surrounding cells with the wrong information. The surrounding stromal cells, like immune system cells and red blood cells, remain genetically normal, but the abnormal signaling confuses them, and they encourage the cancer cells' bad behavior.
"The stromal cells start acting like they would in a tumor," Vargo-Gogola says. "The signaling is off, and it results in sustained abnormal behaviors in these local cells that then drive the development of cancer and ultimately the metastasis of cancer."
To make matters worse, the improper signaling can build on itself.
"People have described the communication breakdown as 'reciprocal and reiterative,'" she says. "It's as if the city changes the traffic lights in response to all those crashes, but the lights are changed wrong."
To understand how CDC42's signaling goes wrong, Vargo-Gogola researches how its signaling works normally. With a newly comprehensive understanding of CDC42's function, Vargo-Gogola's research has the potential to help new cancer therapeutics target one of cancer's root causes without affecting healthy cells.
"I think it's important work for our understanding of the processes that drive development of breast cancer," she says. "While there's a lot of push for better, faster and more treatments, I think you really have to be careful. You don't want to harm someone more because we didn't understand a really bad side effect.
"That's why I think the basic science is so important."
Originally published by harpercancer.nd.edu on December 03, 2013.


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Free eBook: Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2014
We're pleased to announce a free SQL Server 2014 ebook – Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2014 – by Ross Mistry and Stacia Misner.
You can download this eBook here:
Download the PDF (8.08 MB)
Download the EPUB file (8.22 MB)
Download the Mobi for Kindle file (12.3MB)
Microsoft SQL Server 2014 is the next generation of Microsoft's information platform, with new features that deliver faster performance, expand capabilities in the cloud, and provide powerful business insights. In this book, we explain how SQL Server 2014 incorporates in-memory technology to boost performance in online transactional processing (OLTP) and data-warehouse solutions. We also describe how it eases the transition from on-premises solutions to the cloud with added support for hybrid environments. SQL Server 2014 continues to include components that support analysis, although no major new features for business intelligence were included in this release. However, several advances of note have been made in related technologies such as Microsoft Excel 2013, Power BI for Office 365, HDInsight, and PolyBase, and we describe these advances in this book as well.
Who should read this book?
This book is for anyone who has an interest in SQL Server 2014 and wants to understand its capabilities. Many new improvements have been made to SQL Server 2014, but in a book of this size we cannot cover every improvement in its entirety—or cover every feature that distinguishes SQL Server from other databases or SQL Server 2014 from previous versions. Consequently, we assume that you have some familiarity with SQL Server already. You might be a database administrator (DBA), an application developer, a business intelligence solution architect, a power user, or a technical decision maker. Regardless of your role, we hope that you can use this book to discover the features in SQL Server 2014 that are most beneficial to you.
Please find other free eBooks from Microsoft Press here: https://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/ebooks


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The Dodge Shadow and Plymouth Sundance were low-buck transportation. When new, they sold for well under $10,000, at a time when the average new car's sticker had just gone north of those then-foreboding five figures. Then, as now, cheap cars tended to get used up and then discarded, especially due to the minimal maintenance provided by their second, third or fourth owner. Which makes it truly remarkable that this Dodge Shadow ES made it to 2014 with just a couple of bumper scuffs and a tiny bit of rust on the left rear fender.
When new, these were pleasing cars within their class. In 1989, I was in the market for a brand-new, sub-$10,000 car, and test drove the Ford Escort, Ford Tempo, Chevy Cavalier and the identical Plymouth Sundance. The Escort was still in its rude and crude first generation, and the Escort-based Tempo was no better. I didn't like the Cavalier's low, low driving position and how the body flexed over bumps.
I liked the Sundance best by a mile. It felt a little narrow inside, but the weird flat, shallow dashboard lent the impression, especially to the front passenger,of enormous depth. The upright seating made for a commanding view of the road. The 2.2-liter four provided adequate power and, as I recall, was quicker from a stop than the others. You could get an even torquier 2.5 four if you wanted it. And I really liked that the hatchback wore notchback styling. I ended up buying a Chevy Beretta, as it was roomier and better appointed even in basic trim, and I was able to negotiate its price below that magic five-figure mark. A friend of mine bought a Sundance that same year, and I rode in it often over the next five years. I could have been almost as happy in one of those, and would have saved more than a thousand bucks.
This Shadow was pretty stylin' for its time, with its body-color wheels, rear deck spoiler and black trim. It's a clean design that still looks good today, especially with all its bits still present. Kudos to its driver for taking it out on a snowy day.
Full Shadow/Sundance CC here.


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BERLIN – Berlin's District 1 and 2 voters will cast their ballots for the fall Presidential election at Buckingham Presbyterian Church, not the council chambers at Berlin Town Hall.
The Berlin Town Council voted on Monday night to recommend the permanent change in polling place from town hall to the nearby church, citing better handicap access and more parking.
Council member Elroy Brittingham cast the lone opposed vote this week.
Brittingham, who led the last town council meeting during the absence of the Mayor, and council members Ellen Lang and Paula Lynch agreed to table the issue for discussion by the full council at the last meeting. Two council members were absent that night.
At the last February meeting, Brittingham said, "Personally, I have a problem with the holding of an election in a church. I don't know if I can vote on that or not."
Mayor Tom Cardinale, who does not have a vote, concurred with Brittingham. "I have a personal problem with it," Cardinale said.
Others pointed out there was precedent for using a place of worship. "The county used for decades the Mount. Olivet Church Hall," said council vice president Gee Williams pointed out.
Salisbury largely uses churches as polling places, Lang said.
As an alternative, Lang suggested the Berlin Volunteer fire company. That could be a fire safety issue, complicating the fire company's response to emergencies, said town administrator Linda Bambary.
Cardinale suggested using the multi-purpose building on Flower St. for an all district polling place when the new multi-purpose building is completed in a few years time
The Multi-Purpose building does not have adequate parking, Williams said.
"I think it's important you keep the polling places in the district as much as you can for people who walk or don't drive," Lang said.
"Anything would be better than town hall," said Cardinale.
The church has a new handicapped access ramp, said Lynch.
"I think we should do everything we can to make it look more accessible to vote," Williams said.
The change is not yet official.
"The code provides the Board of Supervisors of Elections shall provide for suitable places," said Berlin town attorney Dave Gaskill.
According to Tony Bowen, elections board chair, the elections board must now vote on the council's recommendation.


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Events of 2011
Human rights developments in Kenya were dominated by the implementation of a new constitution and related judicial and police reforms, and the International Criminal Court (ICC) cases against six Kenyans whom the ICC prosecutor accused of crimes against humanity. The alleged crimes were committed during Kenya's post-election violence in 2007 and 2008. Kenyan politicians resisted the ICC process, claiming the judicial and police reforms underway gave sufficient cause to return the cases to Kenya. But there was little progress on the ground in terms of accountability for post-election violence or human rights violations by security forces.
The New Constitution and the Reform Process
The new 2010 constitution propelled a series of reforms, including in the judiciary and the police. It transferred many powers of the attorney general – a political appointee – to the newly autonomous Directorate of Public Prosecutions; this was a critical shift, given that outgoing Attorney General Amos Wako's record was marked by refusing to prosecute, or arbitrarily terminating, cases against political heavyweights, including for political violence and large-scale corruption.
The constitution provided for new appointments for chief justice, deputy chief justice, director of public prosecutions, and attorney general. In an initial false start in January, President Mwai Kibaki unilaterally announced appointments for the first three positions. Civil society groups filed a lawsuit against Kibaki, charging that the move violated the constitutionally mandated consultative process for appointments, and a court ruled in their favor. Parliament also rejected the appointments as unconstitutional. Under pressure, Kibaki withdrew the appointments. In May the Judicial Services Commission conducted a transparent interview process, leading to the naming of Dr. Willy Mutunga and Nancy Baraza, well-respected reformers, as chief justice and deputy chief justice. However, the procedure for selecting the director of public prosecutions was not transparent. Further reforms included the naming of judges to a new Supreme Court.
Police reform proceeded slowly. In August and September parliament passed two police reform bills that bring the Kenya Police and the previously separate (and often politicized) Administration Police under one command structure, and establish a civilian National Police Service commission, which will play a role in police recruitment, training, and disciplinary proceedings. In November parliament passed a Independent Policing Oversight Authority bill, which could be critical in assuring accountability. Police attempted to initiate a purely internal vetting process in June, but the process was suspended over criticism of the lack of civilian oversight.
The ICC Kenya Cases
In December 2010 ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo requested summonses for six Kenyans suspected of organizing and funding crimes against humanity during Kenya's post-election violence in 2007 and 2008. Although the government has regularly pledged cooperation with the ICC, the naming of suspects – Francis Muthaura, Uhuru Kenyatta, and Hussein Ali in one case, and William Ruto, Henry Kosgey, and Joshua arap Sang in another – provoked attempts by the government and parliament to avoid ICC jurisdiction.
In December 2010 parliament called on the government to withdraw from the Rome Statute. The government did not heed parliament's call, but launched an unsuccessful campaign to convince the United Nations Security Council that the Kenya cases should be deferred, claiming they posed a threat to international peace and security.
Kenya then filed an "admissibility challenge," claiming the ICC could not exercise its jurisdiction as a court of last resort because Kenya was already investigating the election violence. The ICC rejected the challenge, finding no evidence that Kenya was investigating the same suspects for the same crimes.
In September the court initiated "confirmation of charges" hearings to determine whether the cases should continue to trial. The hearings were marked by attempts by opponents of accountability to intimidate persons perceived to support the ICC. In September relatives of one ICC witness were physically assaulted and forced to relocate.
Accountability and Impunity in Kenya's National Justice System
Efforts to convince the ICC of progress toward bringing election violence suspects to book in Kenya were not matched by concrete actions. President Kibaki announced in December 2010 that the government would establish a local tribunal, but took no steps toward doing so. A few election violence cases proceeded through the justice system, with one new murder conviction in 2011, but cases that resulted in convictions did not target planners of the violence. At this writing no security officers had been convicted for hundreds of killings and scores of rapes attributed to them during the election violence. At least 19 victims of police shootings have won civil suits, but the government has not paid the court-ordered compensation.
The government continued to deny responsibility for extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, and torture during a 2008 security operation in Mt. Elgon region. NGOs filed cases against the government at the East African Court of Justice, the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, and the African Commission on Human and People's Rights. Local organizations documented over 300 cases of persons "disappeared" between 2006 and 2008, some by the Sabaot Land Defence Forces, a militia, but most by the army. The government took no new steps to investigate the "disappearances", with the exception of one inquest, or to exhume mass graves.
Extrajudicial killings attributed to the police remained unpunished. No one was arrested for the killings of police whistleblower Bernard Kiriinya in 2008; human rights activists Oscar Kamau King'ara and John Paul Oulu in 2009; or Kenneth Irungu, a teacher killed in March after inquiring into the abduction and murder of two of his cousins by suspected police. Police caught on camera shooting unarmed civilians on Nairobi's Langata Road in January 2011 were suspended but later reinstated. In one exception to the impunity trend, in May a Kilifi magistrate filed murder charges against four police suspected of killing unarmed civilians in 2007; the case was proceeding at this writing.
The Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission began public hearings in April on human rights violations committed in Kenya from 1963 to 2008. The hearings afforded victims an important opportunity to testify about abuses by state agents in an official forum, but the commission's insufficient funds, short operational time frame, and organizational shortcomings limited its impact.
A witness protection agency was formally launched in mid-2011, but has been unable to operate due to inadequate funding.
Human Rights Defenders
In September 2010, Ugandan police arrested Al-Amin Kimathi, director of the Nairobi-based Muslim Human Rights Forum, when he visited Uganda to observe proceedings against Kenyans accused of the July 2010 Kampala bombings who had been rendered to Uganda without due process. Kimathi, charged with terrorism, murder, and attempted murder, was held in pre-trial detention in Uganda for a year before the charges were dropped in September 2011. In May Kenya deported Clara Gutteridge, a British fellow with the Open Society Justice Initiative who was researching abuses by East African governments in the context of counterterrorism operations, including Kimathi's case. Kenya claimed Gutteridge's activities were "a threat to national security."
Somalia and Refugee Rights
In March Kenya intervened in Somalia's civil war, supporting pro-Transitional Federal Government militias that committed human rights violations. In October, following the abduction of four foreigners from Kenya by Somali militants or pirates, Kenyan troops invaded areas of Somalia controlled by the militia group al-Shabaab.
Police arrested and unlawfully returned some Somali asylum seekers crossing into Kenya. Most reached Kenya's refugee camps via dangerous back roads to avoid police arrest and extortion, exposing themselves to bandits who rob and rape. The Liboi screening center near the border remained closed.
Kenya delayed opening two new camps – Ifo Extension and Kambios – claiming they would attract more Somalis. Instead, it proposed building new camps in Somalia, a dangerous proposition given the ongoing fighting. By August when the two camps finally opened, over 400,000 refugees lived in three camps built for 90,000. Movement to the new camps encountered delays due to local community opposition. Reports of rape in the camps increased dramatically and almost always went unpunished. People with disabilities, especially mental disabilities, had limited access to medical and social services.
Women's, Children's, and LGBT Rights
The Kenyan government undertook to improve access to pain treatment and palliative care. Access to such care has been poor, particularly for hundreds of thousands of children suffering pain from cancer, HIV/AIDS, or other diseases. Eleven government hospitals are in the process of creating palliative care units, and at least three were functional by September. In August the government launched the first National Cancer Control Strategy, which recognizes the importance of pain treatment and palliative care.
Kenya's maternal mortality ratio remains high, at 488 deaths per 100,000 live births. About 3,000 fistula injuries occur annually. The department of reproductive health is developing a fistula policy, but the government has failed to effectively address recurrent health system problems, including inadequate emergency obstetric care facilities and lack of accountability, which contribute to fistula and maternal deaths.
In December 2010 the Kenyan High Court ruled in favor of Richard Muasya, an intersex individual, for the inhuman and degrading treatment Muasya suffered at Kamiti Maximum Prison. Muasya and other intersex individuals are appealing the court's decision not to recognize intersex persons in Kenyan law. Kenyan law continues to criminalize homosexual conduct, despite mounting evidence that the law inhibits effective HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs.
Key International Actors
The African Union supported Kenya's drive to defer ICC cases against post-election violence suspects, increasing concerns over the body's commitment to accountability. The UN Security Council, however, did not grant the deferral request.
The United States supported counterterrorism initiatives in Kenya and East Africa. FBI agents were involved in the interrogations of Kimathi and other Kenyans held in Uganda, despite their knowledge of due process violations against the suspects.
The UN and most donor states appropriately rejected Kenya's suggestion that camps be built in south-central Somalia to house Somalis fleeing conflict, human rights abuses, and famine.
Disclaimer: © Copyright, Human Rights Watch
This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.


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In 1978, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) was a legal aid to Rep. Leo Ryan (D-CA), the only U.S. Congressman to be murdered in the line of duty. In 2011, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) almost became the second. Speier barely survived the trip to Jonestown, where an insane preacher had moved his insane Temple, but not before she herself had been shot five times.
Incredibly, not only is she still a Democrat but the Joe Biden gun control squad appears to be enlisting her help in developing a plan of action, as she was one of twelve Democratic congressmen who make up the House Democrat Task Force on Gun Violence. The group met with Biden yesterday.
Make no mistake. Speier's presence on that Task Force has to do with her very real and personal history when it comes to being on the wrong end of a gun. After the meeting, CNN interviewed Speier and asked her about her experience at Jonestown in 1978 (beginning at the 2:00 mark). Conspicuously absent from the exchange is any mention of Jones' ideology and who he was in bed with – the Democratic Party. Jones was a Marxist. More on his relationship with very prominent Democrats after the video.
Via Daily Caller:
Jim Jones was a professed Marxist and moved up through the ranks of political power in San Francisco with the aid and assistance of several Democrats. He helped Democratic Mayor George Moscone get elected. In fact, through the use of Community Organizing, Jones and his Temple were very much responsible for Moscone's victory. As a result, Moscone rewarded Jones with a seat on the San Francisco Housing Authority, which oversaw more than $14 million, and later enlisted the help of then California State Assemblyman Willie Brown (D) to introduce legislation that would ensure Jones would become chairman.
Ralph Nader has a little known legacy of disgrace when it comes to Jim Jones as well. An extremely terrified couple who had defected from Jones' cult reached out to Nader for help, in confidence. He betrayed them. Their plea for assistance found its way from Nader to Jones.
Jones also ingratiated himself with other Democrats like then Lieutenant Governor Mervyn Dymally and Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, who once said of Jones:
"I am really pleased and inspired by what I have seen. Here is truly a man – Pastor Jim Jones – who is touched by God."
How about then Democratic Governor Jerry Brown (yes, the one who is in office today)? Brown made several visits to Jones' Temple and clearly turned a blind eye to what was going on. Jones also rubbed elbows with Rosalyn Carter and Walter Mondale (see video below). Speaking of that video, note how Jones boasts about the fact that he was a Marxist (Obama has a history that very much involves studying Marxism and associating with Marxists). Also keep in mind how the more than 900 people died in Jonestown; Jones was responsible but it wasn't done with guns:
In a book entitled, Six Years With God, written by Jeannie Mills (a pseudonym), the woman who was betrayed by Nader and ultimately lost her life, she wrote:
"Just a few doors down the street from the San Francisco temple the Black Muslims had their temple. Jim made strong overtures of friendship to this strong group, even sending large contingencies of our membership to attend their services, to which they responded by sending their members to our services."
Two more ironic realities about Jim Jones that should raise bold red flags with Speier…
Jones attempted to buy favorable California media coverage – to some degree, successfully – with payoffs labeled as "commendation" awards to show support for the first amendment. Laughable, isn't it? Not surprisingly, the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle received the largest amounts. Eerily salient today, isn't it?
The other reality the mainstream media will not touch is the fact that just prior to the mass murder / suicide in Jonestown, the group bequeathed all of its assets to the Soviet Union.
Instead of playing defense, the Republican leadership should be exposing the truth behind the groups and individuals responsible for Speier's shooting. In fact, it was the Democratic Party that enabled Jim Jones to acquire the power he did.
That Speier is still a Democrat defies any and all logic, unless one believes that Stockholm Syndrome is a real condition.
Parting thought: In an interview Speier gave last year, she talked about how many people approached her delegation in 1978 to SECRETLY ask for escape. If Speier were honest, would she ask for escape from the Democratic Party?


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By Deanna Ratnikova
An increasing number of US colleges and universities are turning to online course offerings and other versions of distance education for a portion of their courses. Physics departments are not exempt from the push for distance education and are putting substantial time and resources into online homework systems, video-recorded lectures and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Over 100 participants gathered at APS headquarters in College Park on June 1-2 to learn about the opportunities and implications of distance education and online learning for the physics community.
Over the course of the workshop, which lasted a day and a half, speakers primarily focused on online resources designed to enhance the classroom experience, and they presented what physics education research has to offer to optimize the effectiveness of distance education efforts. Some speakers, however, directly addressed the contentious topic of distance education and MOOCs.
Jack Wilson, President Emeritus of the University of Massachusetts Lowell and former CEO of UMass Online, kicked off the conference with the keynote "Radical Change in Higher Education–will physics lead, follow, or get out of the way?" He noted that traditional press coverage of MOOCs ranges from skepticism (how to deal with cheating; are these courses effective?) to hype (distance education will change the world and transform education).
Wilson reported on a Sloan Foundation/Association of Public and Land-grant Universities survey finding that nearly three-quarters of university presidents believe online learning is critical to their institution's long-term strategy. This is consistent with the results of an informal survey conducted at the workshop, which showed that physics departments are primarily encouraged by entities outside the department (deans, provosts, presidents, and other high-level administrators) to offer more online courses. In response to this pressure, 87% of the responding workshop participants noted that they anticipate their department will increase its use of distance education modes in the next three years; the other 13% anticipate their use of distance education modes will remain the same in the short-term.
Renee Michelle Goertzen, APS Education Programs Manager, remarked, "Conference participants expressed the need for increased attention and research into the best practices in distance education and online learning, and they were particularly enthusiastic in sessions on topics such as MOOCs and assessment in online learning."
Ryan Baker of Columbia University addressed concerns over assessment and discussed how it is not necessarily measuring whether the knowledge is learned but whether it is robustly learned (i.e., will it stay retained for a longer period?) and whether it can be transferred to other situations or used to learn new skills. Baker presented research on models that can predict whether students will learn robustly early in their learning process.
Gerd Kortemeyer and Wolfgang Bauer, both of Michigan State University, reported on their experience running completely online and blended large-enrollment physics courses for more than 10 years at Michigan State. Kortemeyer presented his work using the free open-source platform LON-CAPA as a learning delivery system—a tool that David Pritchard of MIT has also used for his online classes. Prichard now, however, bases his online classes on EdX, a non-profit organization created by Harvard and MIT that offers MOOCs and interactive online classes in a variety of subjects. According to Pritchard, those who satisfactorily complete the required portion of his course are awarded a certificate from EdX, and for teachers in the US, the course awards Professional Development Points (free for teachers in Massachusetts) or, for a fee, Continuing Education Units through the American Association of Physics Teachers.
Michigan State's Bauer discussed how MOOCs can be monetized—which may account for the push from higher administrators for their implementation. He explained that MOOC materials can be used in a flipped classroom along with a teaching assistant for student interactions, thus potentially removing the need for faculty, and that institutions may soon start to charge some tuition to those students who successfully complete a MOOC and wish to receive college credit.
The first day of the workshop finished with a keynote address from Candace Thille of Carnegie Mellon University's Open Learning Initiative (OLI), a grant-funded group offering online courses to all. OLI was built upon the idea of integrating cognitive tutoring into online courses that can stand on their own and provide instruction. Their model is based on cognitive science telling us how students need help to think more metacognitively, and it provides feedback when the students need it. OLI provides students with simulations, time-independent access to the course, and connections to students around the world, but more importantly, it allows education researchers to collect data on how people are learning and using the system.
On the final day of the workshop, Pritchard and Kortemeyer delved deeper into the challenges of distance education. Pritchard remarked that academic cheating can be broken down into several groups—general cheating, exam cheating, plagiarism, and unauthorized collaboration—and according to literature on the subject, only unauthorized collaboration is significantly growing. An MIT study, which defined cheating as putting in the answer into the online system faster than it would take to read the problem and input the answer, showed that students who cheated more did worse on the exams and that they pass future classes less often. This leads to a division of opinions by instructors—one extreme contends that it is not appropriate to intervene, as they should only maintain standards and allow the students to decide what to do, while the other extreme believes in trying to reduce copying because the wrong message is conveyed if instructors ignore the cheating.
Kortemeyer noted that there should be a distinction between cheating on homework, which leads to learning failure and demoralization, and cheating on exams, which should lead to course failure. Based on an analysis of student discussions, Kortemeyer found that multiple choice problems produce the most solution-oriented discussions and that the best discussions occur with problems of medium-range difficulty. He also shared his results from conducting weekly exams rather than just a midterm and final: there was less use of unsanctioned websites and more use of the sanctioned site, more student satisfaction, more regular e-text use, and better final exam scores.
Andy Rundquist of Hamline University brought to light a major challenge for mass adoption of authentic assessment methods—scalability. At the Department Chairs Conference held just prior to the Distance Education Workshop, Rundquist presented his standards-based grading with voice approach and noted that it could be a possible solution to cheating. He recognized, however, that it could not scale easily past a 40-person class, so the question remains how instructors can best address cheating in large introductory college courses that are based online or use online homework.
APS Director of Education & Diversity Ted Hodapp remarked that "APS staff and the Committee on Education are considering ways to connect faculty wrestling with the issues of distance education, and to provide resources for understanding this changing landscape."
The workshop was supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation and organized by Jacob Clark Blickenstaff, Noah Finkelstein, Ted Hodapp, Edward Prather, David Pritchard, and Carl Wieman.
APS encourages the redistribution of the materials included in this newspaper provided that attribution to the source is noted and the materials are not truncated or changed.


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Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
Behind the Screens with Joshua Maloni
Nick has had enough.
First, his girlfriend, Juliette, refused to marry him because he is, well, a mythological wesen-hunting grimm.
Then, his nemesis Adelind (Claire Coffee), a wicked hexenbiest, poisoned Juliette and sent her into a coma.
Nick got her back, but it was a different version of Juliette. ... One that couldn't remember her boyfriend.
Juliette, unbeknownst to Nick, awoke from her coma after receiving a kiss from his police captain, Renard. Thanks to Adelind's actions, Juliette and Renard are now madly in love (no, really, they're a little cray cray), and can't stay away from each other.
Oh, and Nick has just learned Renard is a wesen, and probably an evil dictator, too.
Blood = boiling.
When "Grimm" returns with the second half of its second season (beginning tonight), Nick and Renard will have a good, old-fashioned brawl.
Actor Sasha Roiz, who plays Renard, said he was a little surprised to see the hero and villain do battle this early in the series, but "I'm really glad that it's happened. I'm really glad that we had a chance to finally confront each other, because I think it's something the fans had been waiting for (for) a long time. And we - as characters and actors - had been waiting for as well."
Bitsie Tulloch (Juliette) isn't saying if she'll stay with Renard, return to Nick (actor David Giuntoli), or, you know, return to her right mind. For the now, the actress is just having fun putting a different spin on her character.
"In season two, I've had a lot of - I've had so much more to do with her," she explained, "which is not to knock the storyline from season one, because, you know, at the beginning of season one, this guy who I've been dating, who I loved, he lost basically the woman who raised her (Nick's aunt Marie, also a grimm). And I know a lot of fans were sort of saying 'How can she be so naïve - how is she not seeing this (Nick's secret side),' but she was just being really understanding and sensitive to Nick's situation.
"But waking up in season two in a coma and then having just this big empty hole where this man once lived is - has been sort of crazy, and I have to say you have not seen the worst of it. What goes on with Juliette gets much worse before it gets better. So, they're just sort of starting to lay out what's going to happen the rest of season two.
"As an actress, it's definitely been so much fun for me to really go into these deep, dark depths of the character and her mental space. And she's really starting to lose it, kind of. I mean, as you can imagine, she - it's crazy to wake up and see pictures of this guy - this stranger - all over your house, and be told that, you know, 'You guys were going to get married,' and all this stuff, and you have no recollection whatsoever. And then all of a sudden she's lusting after someone she barely knows and can't control herself. I mean, it's enough to make anybody mad. So that's been a lot of - that's been fun for me."
"Grimm" airs Fridays at 9 p.m. on NBC. Find the show online at http://www.nbc.com/grimm/.


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Star Cast: Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, Angela Lansbury
Directors: Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise
Cert: 12A
Release Date: 17/03/2017
Disney's animated classic gets a sumptuous live-action reboot with Emma Watson and Dan Stevens in the lead roles.
Belle (Emma Watson) is a bookish young woman and keen inventor who goes in search of her father Maurice (Kevin Kline) when he disappears after visiting a mysterious castle.
When she gets there, she is shocked to learn that he is the prisoner of the monstrous Beast (Dan Stevens) and volunteers to take his place.
Initially terrified of her captive, she soon learns about how he was transformed from a handsome prince into his current state by a magical curse, and a tender love story soon develops.
Twilight director Bill Condon promises to bring a lavish sense of magic to this all-star remake of the celebrated 1991 animation.
Anchored by Watson and Stevens, the movie also features Luke Evans as Gaston, Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, Emma Thompson as Mrs Potts and Josh Gad as LeFou.


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An official website of the United States government
News Release 2012-137 | October 1, 2012
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WASHINGTON – The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) today announced a $500,000 civil money penalty against American Express Bank, FSB, for violations of section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act and ordered the bank to provide approximately $6 million in restitution to an estimated 17,000 affected customers.
The OCC also ordered the bank to establish an effective vendor management program to oversee the provision of products to the bank's customers.
The OCC based its penalty on the bank's failure to properly manage vendors who engaged in deceptive debt collection practices in violation of the statute. The estimated $6 million in restitution will be paid to compensate consumers for the injury suffered as the result of these violations.
The OCC is taking these actions in coordination with separate actions by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation against American Express companies under their jurisdictions. In addition to the penalty assessed by the OCC against American Express Bank, FSB, the CFPB is assessing a $1.2 million penalty which covers both violations of the Truth in Lending Act, for which the bureau has exclusive enforcement authority, and the deceptive debt collection practices addressed by the OCC penalty and order.
Restitution payments made by the bank pursuant to the OCC's order will also satisfy identical payment obligations required by the CFPB. The civil money penalties assessed by the OCC are payable to the U.S. Treasury.
Bryan Hubbard (202) 874-5770


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Reverse Polish notation
Reverse Polish notation is a variant of the Russian reversal techniques invented by the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War.
In reverse Polish notation, figures subtract you.
Reverse Polish notation was used in the manufacture of poor-quality calculators by oppressive Soviet-controlled Warsaw Pact régimes.
These calculators had no equal sign ('='); equality was a political concept to be kept out of the hands of the proletariat.
Cold War statistics[edit]
Think you know what's going on and can put two and two together, capitalist pigs? On a Western calculator, that would be: (2) [+] (2) [=]... simple enough, no?
The same would not be true of Warsaw Pact calculations with their Russian reversal-like approach:
- (2)
- (2)
- [+]
There is no equality.
Well, there is, but some are more equal than others. Everyone loves Big Brother. It is touching to see how much everyone loves Big Brother.
Greetings from Warsaw, comrades!
The Warsaw Pact forces were ultimately defeated by the US-backed armies of Texas Instruments, ending the menace of reverse Poolish notation once and for all. Pooland is currently under occupation by the European Community and NATO to ensure reverse Polish notation does not rise again.
However, many L33T H4X0R2 have discovered that, in the aftermath of the TI Invasion of Poland, certain engineering were of the Pinko persuasion. By going into Properties then hitting ALPHA and typing CCCP then ENTER then clucking like a chicken, even modern TI calculators can be set to use Reverse Polish notation.


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In the past I was only occasionally walking barefoot, on relatively short distances, on the earthy surfaces. But I'd like to train my feet to be able to do much more - including walking on harsh surfaces such as rocks. My inspiration are the documentaries of indigenous peoples walking barefoot in many environment, including rocky ones, and the family tales, that in the past people were walking barefoot to church, even in the winter.
However, I've done today a 20-minutes walk in the city. The pavements were hot because of full sun, and after reaching home I've found out that the skin on my soles is creased and I feel pain even standing. Luckily, it seems that I'm going to get out of it even without blisters.
Obviously my feet are too soft for harsher surfaces. I should walk a lot on earthy surfaces - unfortunately most trails in the surrounding are graveled... But are there any exercises, training programs or treatments to speed up the tempo of hardening foots? From what distances should I begin, and in which tempo to increase them? Does some ointments, cold or hot showers help?


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At the event hosted by Sabine Chabbert, associate director of the Fragrance Foundation France, and Thomas Misrachi, BFM TV journalist, nine perfumes and one brand were awarded with 14 prizes on April 11.
All fragrances in the categories selective distribution and broad distribution were evaluated by a jury consisting of perfume professionals, members of the Fragrance Foundation and other experts (consultants, journalists and bloggers). The public also had the opportunity to cast their votes on the Internet.
Among the 14 prizes, which honored the creativity and innovation of the perfume industry, four prizes went to La Petite Robe Noire by Guerlain and two to Spicebomb by Viktor & Rolf in the selective distribution category.
At the end of the evening, the audience, consisting of professionals and the media, determined a winner in the category "Prix du Parfum Mythique." This category includes perfumes that were released at least 20 years ago and still are among the top 30 fragrances sold in France. The Prix du Parfum Mythique 2013 winner in this category was Shalimar by Guerlain, which emerged from 15 nominated historical fragrances as the winner.
Just like Elie Saab Le Parfum (BPI) in 2012, one perfume in women's fragrance this year won all prizes (woman's fragrance of the year, best advertising communication and best design) in the women's fragrance selective distribution category: La Petite Robe Noire by Guerlain (LVMH), created by Thierry Wasser from Guerlain. The agency Küntzel + Deygas created the TV commercial which featured music from Nancy Sinatra. La Petite Robe Noire by Guerlain won with 21.4% of all expert votes and 26% of the audience votes. In particular, it garnered 43% of all votes in the advertising communication category, and received 17.2% of votes for best design for its classic looking bottle with modern elements.
"This fragrance prevailed clearly among the jury and the audience," said Chabbert.
Best women's fragrance in broad distribution was VIP pour Elle by Playboy (Coty Beauty) from IFF. As the best women's fragrance marketed under its own name, So Elixir Purple by Yves Rocher, created by Marie Salamagne (Firmenich) received a prize. Spicebomb by Viktor & Rolf (L'Oréal Luxe), designed by Olivier Polge from IFF, received two prizes: one for best men's fragrance and one for best design. Only The Brave Tattoo by Diesel (L'Oréal Luxe), created by Honorine Blanc and Alberto Morillas from Firmenich, won the audience award with 13% of the votes.
Best advertising communication was Kenzo Homme Sport by Kenzo (LVMH). Best perfume in broad distribution was The Essence by David Beckham (Coty Beauty) from IFF. Best men's fragrance, marketed under its own name, was L'Eau Universelle of L'Occitane: a collaboration with the perfume creator Mathieu Nardin from Robertet. Best perfume in selective distribution was Volutes by Diptyque. The tobacco-honey-scent was inspired by a long journey between Marseille and Saigon of one of the creators of Diptyque and was composed by Fabrice Pellegrin, perfume creator from Firmenich.
The brand Olfactive Studio received the prize for best concept.


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On Feb 2008, The Big Bear Butt Blogger has moved to a new self-hosted blog using the Wordpress format.
All content from this blog is available there, and can be found using the search function for your topic.
All comments made on the new Wordpress website, The Big Bear Butt Blogger, are seen even if made on older posts, and contact info on that website is kept up to date.
New content is written almost every single day, sometimes many times in a single day, so if you haven't visited there before, make sure you change your bookmarks to go to the new website. And prepare for a backlog post onslaught.
Your subscribed feeds should automatically be going to the new website, so there is nothing there to worry about.
I do apologise for the inconvenience of changing websites on you, but being self-hosted with Wordpress has made it much easier to write more frequently.
Which, depending on what you think of my writing, may be a good or bad thing.
I hope to see you all there!


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eGroupware – web-based groupware suite Setup
Sponsored Link
eGroupware requirements
- System software e.g. Linux, Windows or MacOSX
- Downloading the eGroupWare Package
- Webserver and php-Interpreter e.g. Apache, IIS recommended Apache 2, min. php 4.3, recommended php 5
- Database (SQL) e.g. MySQL, Postgres, MaxDB, MSSQL min. MySQL 4.0, recommended MySQL 4.1 or 5.0
- SMTP-Server e.g. Postfix
- Client Browser e.g. Firefox, Internet Explorer
- Client IMAP-Server e.g. Cyrus (POP3 also possible, supported only by Anglemail -- not by the standard email application FelaMiMail.
Before installing egroupware you have to install apache2 and mysql with php support
Web Server Setup
Install apache2 with php support check here
Database Server Setup
Install mysql with php support
sudo apt-get install mysql-server mysql-client libmysqlclient15-dev
sudo apt-get install php4-mysql
If you want to install php5 support use the following command
sudo apt-get install php5-mysql
Install postfix in Ubuntu
sudo aptitude install postfix mailx php5-imap
choose satellite system and just press enter when asked other questions, but don't select any relay host (remove smtp.xxx.xxxx)
Change /etc/mailname to say: test.com
Change /etc/aliases such that,
# Added by installer for initial user
root: [email protected]
Replace [email protected] with your own e-mail address!
Finally, do as root
restart postfix using the following command
sudo /etc/init.d/postfix restart
and if you want to install imap or pop3 servers you can install of your choice and this is only optional.
Installing eGroupware in Ubuntu
sudo aptitude install egroupware
This will start the installation process and you see the following screen first
Now it will ask for which webserver you want to configure for egroupware i am using apache2 and select which one you are using from the list.
Enter the which user you want to use for header user admin and i have entered admin and click on ok
enter the header admin user password
Confirm the header admin password
this time you have choose the option for libc-client without maildir support and i am selecting yes and click on ok
That's it this will complete the egroupware basic installation.
Go to http://yourserverip/egroupware/setup/ to setup egroupware
Select Your Language and click on "Run Installation Tests"
Now you should see similar to the following screen here you need to click on "Continue to the Header Admin"
Enter your header user admin username and password to login.
Once you login you should see the following screen in this you need to enter all the required fields with the exact information.Important one is enter the configuration username and password for you to login after installation .You click on Add new database instance and write config click on continue.
header.inc.php created click on continue
Now you need to enter the setup/config admin login details and click on login
Here you need to enter DB root username,password and click on Create database
you should see the following screen with red cross marks first thing is you need to click on install button to install all the required applications
Now you should see the following screen with two red cross marks this means you have to setup mail server settings, create the admin account.
Once you created everything you should see similar to the following screen
Now you need to login using the following URL
http://yourserverip/egroupware/ enter your configuration admin username and password to login
Once you logged in into the egroupware you should see similar to the following screen


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And before you knew it, the summer is over. The 2010 September Equinox falls on 23 September 03.09. The Fall Equinox is the moment when the night and day span exactly the same amount of hours.
An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equator. The term equinox can also be used in a broader sense, meaning the date when such a passage happens….An equinox happens each year at two specific moments in time (rather than two whole days), when there is a location on the Earth's equator where the center of the Sun can be observed to be vertically overhead (in astronomical terms, the subsolar point), occurring around March 20/21 and September 22/23 each year….On a day of the equinox, the center of the Sun spends a roughly equal amount of time above and below the horizon at every location on the Earth, night and day being of roughly the same length.
If you ever have the chance, go check out the Equinox in Chichen Itza.


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Britain announced plans Tuesday to finance a new generation of nuclear power plants and renewable energy facilities, in a move that illustrates the differences in energy policies among European Union countries as the bloc grapples with the challenge of reconciling economic and environmental objectives.
The 27-member European Union sets climate change targets and coordinates efforts to reduce energy dependency, but decisions on energy sources remain with national governments.
Britain's proposals, announced in draft legislation by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, appear to be calculated to sidestep European Union restrictions on government aid that might prevent direct subsidies for the construction of nuclear power plants. Instead, they would guarantee prices for low-carbon electricity and pay producers for backup supplies when renewable sources like wind power fail to meet demand.
Industry reaction was far from euphoric. In a statement, Volker Beckers, chief executive of Npower, RWE's British operation, said the required investment would amount to around £8,000, about $12,600, for every household in Britain.
Continue reading at Britain Says It Will Add Reactors for Energy


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Jyske Bank Boxen Arena, Denmark
The Opportunity:
The Jyske Bank Boxen is a 15,000-seat indoor arena that hosts sporting events such as ice hockey and basketball, as well as concert events with international artists. Jyske Bank Boxen is part of the MCH Messecenter Herning exhibition center in Herning, Denmark. In preparation for the 2018 International Ice Hockey Foundation (IIHF) World Championships, the MCH Messecenter Herning opened a new visitor foyer, featuring a dynamic façade designed to direct visitors to the arena, exhibition halls and other areas of the complex.
The Solution:
MCH Group recently installed a complete audio and lighting solution from HARMAN Professional Solutions. The Martin fixtures provide a smooth and consistent color for each triangle, leveraging the superior premixed color of the Martin Exterior QUAD fixtures. Each fixture is controllable, designed to allow the look of the façade to be adjusted to match the event going on in the arena.
Inside the new foyer, a complete HARMAN audio solution provides flexible control of the high-quality, high SPL sound system. The solution features JBL Control Series ceiling speakers along with CBT and Intellivox column speakers, providing consistent coverage throughout the facility. The installation in the new foyer connects to JBL speakers located throughout the existing facility. The entire system is connected by a BSS Soundweb audio network for audio processing capabilities, and is powered by Crown CDi Series amplifiers.
To see a video of the HARMAN solution at Jyske Bank Boxen Arena, visit here
The Impact:
"We are very pleased with the overall result and how the Martin lighting transforms the building into an exciting environment, perfect to build up the right atmosphere for our customers coming to a new arena concert or large sports event," explains Gehling. "Already, when people arrive from the highway, our façade is highly visible and people start looking forward to a great night."
Karsten Ørkild, Project Manager at system integrator Lydrommet explains, "The end customer wanted a system that was able to deliver high quality, entertainment-ready sound at a high sound pressure. Thanks to BSS Soundweb, which connects the entire facility, local technicians can configure the system to fit any type of event. We are happy to have worked with HARMAN to deliver a system design and software programming that provides a flexible, reliable and future proof audio system."


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As it turned out, Cro Cop entered treacherous waters the moment he
stepped into the Octagon with Mir, whether on the feet or on the ground.
Mir didn't need to get the action to the ground in order to win.
Former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir was the rightful favorite heading into Saturday night's main event against former PRIDE superstar Mirko Cro Cop, though few imagined the muscular submission savant scoring a spectacular knockout on the feet near the conclusion of a three-round kickboxing-only affair.
The win highlights Mir's growth as a mixed martial artist over his storied UFC career. This is the same guy who just a few short years ago seemed extremely uncomfortable exchanging on the feet with skilled strikers. Today, he is unafraid to stand with anyone in the heavyweight division. The transformation has been nothing short of remarkable.
Those closely following Mir's career probably could have seen this coming, particularly in hindsight. In his last four fights, Mir has shown hockey-stick improvement in his kickboxing, with an equal, if not greater improvement, in his confidence levels surrounding those skills.
It all started when he became the first man in history to score a knockout win over legendary PRIDE champion Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira. He followed that up by consistently getting the better of reigning champion Brock Lesnar for the brief moments that the fight unfolded on the feet. Mir then scored a first round knockdown en route to an easy submission win over world class kickboxer Cheick Kongo. And, of course, the pinnacle of his striking career occurred on Saturday night, when he crumbled Cro Cop to the canvas with a perfectly timed Muay Thai knee after slipping a wild overhand left from his foe. That sequence was as fluid of a moment as Mir has ever displayed during his standup game, and it will likely propel him to even greater confidence levels, which will only lead to better and better standup performances.
But this is a Monday morning quarterback article, so I would be remiss if I didn't point out the one glaring hole in Mir's game that continues to plague him – wrestling. Mir tried on multiple occasions to take down Cro Cop. He never came close. Granted, Cro Cop has a very good sprawl, and his double underhooks are very difficult to get past in the clinch up against the cage. Thus, it isn't a shock that Mir didn't score a takedown. I am surprised, however, that he never attempted to pull guard, either. There appeared to be two or three occasions when he could have easily pulled guard and brought the Croatian into treacherous waters.
As it turned out, Cro Cop entered treacherous waters the moment he stepped into the Octagon with Mir, whether on the feet or on the ground. Mir didn't need to get the action to the ground in order to win.
If the Las Vegas resident can figure out a way to improve his takedowns along the same hockey-stick curve as his standup, he could very well return to the top of the heavyweight mountain before too long.
I've written it before, and I'll write it yet again. Mirko Cro Cop will never be the same fighter who struck fear in the hearts of opponents in PRIDE and K-1 until he begins utilizing kicks as a major part of his game plan. His loss to Mir shines a vivid spotlight on that fact.
Not to be too critical, but Cro Cop is only an average boxer – he has big power in his left hand, but he is only average in terms of his overall boxing skills. Let's face it, his hands aren't what earned him untold riches in Japan. His hands aren't what won him the 2006 PRIDE Open Weight Grand Prix. And his hands certainly aren't what other heavyweights feared when he entered the arena.
Cro Cop is first and foremost a leg-based striker, and that isn't going to change at this late stage in his career. Trying to transform him into a boxer is like trying to turn Shaquille O'Neal into a point guard or Randy Johnson into a finesse pitcher. It's just not going to happen.
If I were training the Croatian, I would implore him to return to his roots. When this guy uses his legs with the same frequency that other strikers use their hands, he is darn near unbeatable. That may sound silly because one-dimensional fighters rarely succeed in the UFC. The point, though, is that Cro Cop is far from one-dimensional. He is a skilled fighter whose entire game depends on his kicks.
Without that weapon, he is a good, but not great, heavyweight. Again, Saturday night proved that as he was completely outclassed on the feet by a guy who wouldn't have dared to try and stand with him five years ago. On Saturday night, Cro Cop threw somewhere in the neighborhood of three or four left kicks, all in the second round (if my memory serves), and each of them was thrown with sort of a frantic, hurried manner, rather than sitting down and uncorking a confident bomb. Of course, he ended up getting knocked out, something that was almost unthinkable during his PRIDE career.
If I had to point to the root of Cro Cop's decision to abandon his kicks, it would have to be his April 2007 loss to Gabriel Gonzaga. The Croatian was making his second UFC start fresh off a five-fight knockout streak in PRIDE (yes, I'm taking literary license and counting a submission due to strikes as a KO). He looked every bit as confident in his kicks during the opening seconds against Gonzaga, firing a few without reservation and laced with bad intentions. But then, Gonzaga caught a high kick and used it as a vehicle to take the fight to the ground and began grinding away with some brutal ground and pound.
By the time Cro Cop made it back to his feet toward the end of the round, he was exhausted and physically battered. Gonzaga capitalized on his wounded foe by landing a high kick of his own, which led to one of the most shocking knockouts in UFC history – a timeless highlight-reel moment that will forever replay itself in Cro Cop's mind.
We haven't seen kicks thrown in any meaningful quantities since that time. If Cro Cop wants to someday fulfill his dream of becoming a UFC champion, he needs to forget the loss to Gonzaga. He needs to stop fearing getting taken down if someone catches a kick – that risk has existed throughout his career, by the way, and it never stopped him in PRIDE. And he needs to get back to using his kicks as his primary weapon—mixing up low kicks, body kicks and high kicks so that it is difficult to catch a leg and take him down.
After all, when a guy possesses one of the most dangerous weapons in the history of the sport, it is criminal not to use it with regularity.
I'm not sure that most fans watching last Saturday night really appreciate how big it was for Ryan Bader to defeat Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. I'm not sure Bader realizes it, either.
The man called "Lil' Nog" stands among the best light heavies in the world, and has for more than a half-dozen years. Most UFC fans probably don't realize that because they haven't had much exposure to the well-rounded mixed martial artist until he finally made his UFC debut 10 months ago. But that doesn't change the fact that Nogueira has been competing at the highest level overseas for the better part of a decade, scoring clear wins elite fighters like Dan Henderson, the only man to simultaneously hold world championships in two PRIDE weight divisions, and exciting heavyweight Alistair Overeem. And he was by no means on the downside of his long, illustrious career heading into Saturday night, as evidenced by the seven-fight winning streak that bolstered his 19-3 professional record.
Make that 19-4 after he ran into the 205-lb freight train nicknamed "Darth" Bader.
Bader's workmanlike victory over such a skilled opponent underscores the fact that this kid is a very real life contender in the UFC light heavyweight division. No, he isn't yet ready to step into the cage against the ultra elite like reigning champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua or former champions Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Rashad Evans or Lyoto Machida. The operative word in the immediately preceding sentence is "yet." The use of that particular adverb suggests that Bader may well be ready to compete with the division's alpha dogs with a little more seasoning.
Maybe a test with that very next level of elite competition, which is only a micro-step behind the alpha dogs, would be the perfect way to go. In my mind, that means a bout with former champions Forrest Griffin or Rich Franklin, or possibly a contest against perennial contenders Thiago Silva or Brandon Vera.
I'm not sure what I would push for if I were managing Bader's career. Whatever UFC President Dana White has in store next for Bader, I'm quite sure that the collegiate wrestling star, who epitomizes the "anyone, anytime, anywhere" mantra, will not shy away from the challenge.
Chris Lytle's spirited three-round slugfest with former conqueror Matt Serra earned the Indiana native yet another win, this one in front of an ecstatic hometown crowd. Lytle has rapidly evolved into one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, across all divisions, thanks to a go-for-broke style that favors crowd-thrilling action over methodical, play-it-safe game plans. That is a stark contrast from the conservative fighter who lost back-to-back fights to Matt Hughes and Serra following his stint on The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback.
While his rebirth as a risk-taking, fan-friendly fighter isn't necessarily the best way to guarantee success, Lytle has found a way to make it work. The win over Serra was his fourth in a row, and his record since changing his style is an impressive 8-3. Most notably, however, is the fact that Lytle is getting consistent work because he always puts on a great show. Combine that with his ever-growing bank account thanks to an extra six figures in bonus money over the last few years, and other fighters who work less frequently and also bring home far less bacon might want to sit up and take notice of the welterweight contender's recent run of success.
The fans didn't agree with the result, but that wasn't the fault of either fighter on Saturday night as former 155-lb ruler Sean Sherk edged out a disputed decision over top contender Evan Dunham. The bout was almost certainly decided by a slicing left elbow that Sherk landed toward the end of the first round -- a round that Sherk easily won an all the cards. The strike opened up a severe gash above Dunham's right eye that bled profusely for the remainder of the bout. Despite the fact that Dunham found his groove in the second stanza and arguably opened a can of whuppin in the third, the continued bleeding must have played a factor in the lone judge who scored every round for Sherk.
I agree that Dunham was more active in the second and third round. I definitely agree that he controlled the pace of the fight with effective aggressiveness in the third. But the fact remains that the second round was still closer than either man probably preferred. Mix that with the constant flow of blood, and it isn't surprising that Sherk came away with the win. For the record, I scored the fight 29-28 for Dunham, though I'm not among those who are in an uproar about the decision. Dunham, who suffered his first professional loss in a dozen bouts, knew he had taken a beating in the first round. He should have known that the blood would be a difficult hurdle to overcome throughout the fight. Thus, he should have taken a few more chances, particularly in the third round, to try and end the fight. After all, if we have learned anything in mixed martial arts, it is that the judges are unpredictable and often don't see the fight in the same way that the rest of us see it.
Despite the loss, Dunham's status as a stud prospect and legitimate title contender doesn't change one bit. The kid survived big-time adversity against one of the best lightweights in the history of the game and arguably deserved the decision. He proved to me that he can compete with anyone and is a possible future champion. For his part, Sherk reestablished himself near the top of the 155-lb heap. Beating a guy like Dunham, controversial or not, makes a dramatic statement. Either one of these guys could rightfully claim the number one contender spot with a win against a fellow top contender in their next bout.